An Ohio man who spent more than 12 years in prison for sex crimes targeting kids is now facing charges that he had sex with a dog — and is believed to be the state’s first prosecution of its new law banning bestiality.

Scott Turner, of Cleveland, was caring for a woman’s dog named Athena on May 13 when he performed oral sex on the animal. Turner later admitted the act and to abusing the dog in a letter that was turned over to investigators from Cleveland’s Animal Protection League, Cleveland.com reports.

“This is an unspeakable act,” said Cleveland Animal Protection League president Sharon Harvey. “But at least now we finally have something we can do about it.”

A new law criminalizing bestiality throughout Ohio took effect on March 21, carrying a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail upon conviction. Prior to the change, only some municipalities throughout the state had criminalized sex acts with animals in city codes. Before the new law, Harvey said investigators had to rely on animal cruelty laws to prosecute sexual crimes against animals.

“The victim in these cases couldn’t testify, of course, so they were difficult cases,” Harvey told Cleveland.com.

Just five states nationwide — Kentucky, Hawaii, New Mexico, West Virginia and Wyoming — and Washington, DC, do not have laws criminalizing bestiality, according to Humane Society of the United States officials. In 19 states, animal sexual abuse is prosecuted as a felony, and as a felony upon a second offense in four other states, while 23 states consider it a misdemeanor offense. A total of 11 states still considered bestiality legal as recent as “just a few years ago,” Humane Society officials announced in May.

“Astoundingly, in some states, lawmakers have made catcalls and mocked the idea of addressing this form of animal abuse,” Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote in May. “In other states, bills have been delayed for years because legislators simply refuse to talk about it.”

Enforcement of existing laws can be lax even in states with bestiality laws on the books, Pacelle said, noting one case of a man in Wisconsin who was able use existing loopholes in state laws to overturn his conviction.

Meanwhile, studies have shown a link between sex offenders who target children and bestiality, according to Leighann Lassiter, the organization’s director of animal cruelty. Some 40 percent of sex offenders who victimized children at one point admitted to engaging in sex with animals.

“Animal sexual abuse is the number one indicator of someone who would sexually abuse a child,” Lassiter told Cleveland.com. “This is a very real way to protect children from people who could be sexual predators.”

In 2015, Turner was released from prison after serving more than 12 years for convictions in three cases involving children, state records show. Among other charges, he pleaded guilty to 16 counts of rape and five counts of kidnapping with sexual motivation. He must register his address with county officials every 90 days for the rest of his life and will remain on supervision until 2020, Cleveland.com reports.